Arumugam and his wife Chinnamani of Kurumbapalayam, a forest fringe village in Bhavanisagar range, entered the jungle to collect some forest produces when the elephant confronted them last evening.
It trampled to death Arumugam on the spot and chased his wife who managed to escape but suffered injuries while running away, the officials said.
The elephant had already killed an old woman and injured two others, they said adding they were taking steps to trap it and let it into interior forest.